As a global pharmaceutical company, Astellas takes the fight against cancer personally and is deeply committed to our employees and customers who are a part of the oncology community. Fifty percent of all people with cancer are afraid to tell their employers. We aim to abolish the stigma and insecurity that exists for people with cancer in the workplace. We stand together with our fellow employers to reduce the stigma of working with cancer and provide a more open, supportive, and recovery-forward culture at work for all employees.

Read Astellas’ pledge below to learn how we are taking action to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment.  

Astellas Pledge
At Astellas, the patient is the cornerstone of everything we do. Our global patient-centric focus, “Patients are Why^TM", is not about buzzwords or grand statements; it is about action. This meaningful action includes support of all our employees when an illness, including cancer, affects them or a loved one. We create spaces for employees to connect, especially when an employee feels comfortable to share their medical journey with us. We strive to make every employee feel safe to share their situation so we can appropriately support and walk the journey with them. 

Our dedication to patients is grounded in the belief that each person treated is more than just a patient—they are a unique individual with their own story—and we carry this belief throughout the product development process. Our Senior Vice President and Head of Patient Centricity Dr. Anthony Yanni highlights this commitment. “At the end of the day, we are not here to treat a patient – we’re here to care for a person. Having a conscious awareness of that person in every activity, from every area of the company, every single day, ensures we will create the most meaningful innovations.”

We have designed benefit programs to attract, retain and develop talented employees who support our mission to improve the lives of patients.

• $0 copay for all preventive care and age-based screenings, and a copay only for all in-network primary and specialty care visits and lab/diagnostic services

• A variety of leave programs including paid family care leave, which allows employees to take time off to care for a family member.
• Short-term/long-term disability for all employees.
• Teladoc for medical plan members with 24/7 access to receive medical care from the convenience of their home, car, or while traveling via phone, video, or app
• Teladoc Medical Experts – Voluntary Second Opinion to provide employees and family members enrolled in the Medical Plan free access to the top 5% of medical specialists in the U.S. who can provide comprehensive voluntary second opinions.
• Caregiving support for employees and family members available through our Family Care Solutions program.

We are working to create a corporate culture that removes the fear of loss of employment resulting from a personal or loved one’s cancer diagnosis. Therefore, we have several internal initiatives that raise awareness or support for such affected employees, including:

• An employee-driven cancer support group for patients, caregivers, and survivors who meet regularly and drive company-wide awareness initiatives
• A digital Patient Journal for those employees who feel comfortable to share their story, updates, and perspectives internally with all global Astellas colleagues

Astellas’ goal is to contribute toward improving the health of people around the world by providing innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products.  We know that patients are waiting for something new that could potentially help them, because some of these patients are our very own employees and their loved ones. This is the driving force, not only in our business but in our personal approach, to achieve our vision to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients.

Learn more about Astellas’ Abilities EIG here and view the Patients & Caregivers Support for Patients page here. Interested in a career at Astellas? Learn more here.